...a macabre online spectacle known as the Blue Whale Challenge.
Essentially a dangerous personal obstacle course of 50 daily tasks that include everything from watching horror films to self-mutilation, the game is rumored to be behind unexpected deaths across the globe. But because the challenge plays out on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, the reality is hard to prove. In fact, due to the extreme premise alone, some says it’s just an Internet hoax invented to frighten parents and other adults...People who are interested throw out postings on social media — Twitter and Instagram, for example — asking for a “curator.” A number of different hashtags— #bluewhalechallenge, #curatorfindme, #i_am_whale — act like homing signals for the anonymous curators.
The curator then assigns the user
50 daily tasks — in a kind of gruesome sensei-student relationship. The specifics vary in different accounts, but the regimen is increasingly spooky and often involves self-mutilation. Some tasks reportedly include waking up at a certain hour to watch a scary movie or listen to music provided by the curator. Others include self-cutting. The final day’s task is suicide.
